K Lady's legacy lives on at Alex Box

By mboudreaux

Created 03/05/2013 - 10:05pm

POSTED: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 - 10:05pm

UPDATED: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - 10:34am

BATON ROUGE, LA — Tens of thousands of fans walk through the gates of Alex Box Stadium every season. Each one brings a different element of support to the Tiger baseball team. Few can say they’ve been more involved than Anita Haywood. Fans at the stadium know her as the "K Lady".

“I was sitting in section D. I used white paper with a black K with magic marker and stuck it up there with tape,” Haywood said, recalling the game she became the K Lady.

In baseball, K stands for strikeout. With Haywood’s devotion over the past 20-plus years, every time an LSU pitcher strikes out an opposing batter the letter K is hung on the railing.

“I started hanging K’s for Ben McDonald. That was a long time ago and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Haywood said.

It was the late 1980’s when she began. Today she remains a staple at the ball park.

“This is the only thing I haven't retired from,” she joked.

Night in and night out you’ll see her just above the third baseline. If you can’t see her, you’re sure to hear her.

“Most people are appreciative, some think I really suck,” she said.

She’s one of the more vocal fans in attendance. It’s something she catches criticism for at times.

“I may be loud, but that's what the K lady at LSU does,” she said jokingly.